The Blue Jackets went into the game against the Anaheim Ducks with their pool of forwards drained by injuries.

It became dangerously shallow in the 4-3 loss last night when center Brandon Dubinsky was given a game misconduct for his open-ice hit on Ducks veteran Saku Koivu in the final minute of the second period.

Dubinsky also was given a five-minute interference major after Koivu, according to Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau, was “knocked out.”

“Probably the biggest thing about that call wasn’t the five minutes (short-handed),” Blue Jackets coach Todd Richards said. “It was that we lost Dubi for the game. You look at the guys out of our lineup — (Derek) MacKenzie and Boone Jenner — and then we lose Dubi for the third period.

“Those are guys who provide a lot of speed and energy for us. Then you’ve got a five-minute penalty kill and you’re losing a guy who logs a lot of ice time, especially on the penalty kill.”

Dubinsky sprung Artem Anisimov for a short-handed goal and won 8 of 9 faceoffs before he was ejected.

Ducks right wing Emerson Etem gave Anaheim a 3-2 lead early in the third during the Dubinsky major, but it was the longer-term loss of an on-ice leader that put the Jackets in “a big hole,” Richards said.

Jenner (leg) and MacKenzie (lower body) were injured on Friday in a win over Toronto. The Jackets, who already were without left wing Matt Calvert (abdominal surgery), played with a lineup of forwards that included Springfield call-ups Michael Chaput and Ryan Craig.

“Losing Dubi, he’s a big part of our team,” left wing Nick Foligno said. “He’s a guy that logs a lot of minutes and plays in a lot of situations. That definitely hurt us.”

Last look?

Ducks right wing Teemu Selanne, 43, played in his 1,397th game in what he has said will be his final NHL season.

The “Finnish Flash” has three goals and four assists in 10 games this season, his 21st in the league. He was credited with his 759th assist when Etem buried the rebound of a Selanne one-timer.

“To me he looks as fast as ever, as quick as ever,” Richards said before Selanne played his 21st and likely final game in Nationwide Arena. “If you put a puck on his stick in a scoring spot, there’s a really good chance it’s going in the net. I’m really impressed. Only a certain number of guys have been able to play into their 40s but still be very good players.”

Chaput debuts

Chaput, who was recalled from Springfield on Saturday, made his NHL debut.

The 21-year-old was a third-round pick of Philadelphia in 2010 and was traded to the Blue Jackets in 2011 as part of a deal that sent Tom Sestito to the Flyers. Chaput had 13 goals and 19 assists in 73 games for Springfield last season, his first as a pro.

He skated on the fourth line with Craig and Jared Boll and became the sixth Blue Jackets player to make his team debut this season, joining Jenner, Craig, Ryan Murray, Jack Skille and Curtis McElhinney.

Cannon Fodder Podcast

Cannon Fodder is the podcast from The Dispatch sports team covering the Blue Jackets. Tune in for lively discussions about the ta and the rest of the NHL. Subscribe to the show through its RSS feed or iTunes.

Commentary from the Dispatch

Columnist Michael Arace shares his thoughts on the Blue Jackets and the NHL.